There's an interesting Behind the Bastards podcast about the rise of incel culture and its push into mainstream. It's called "From Elliot Rodger to Clavicular." They talk about the language of incels and how their vocabulary tends to end up in the mainstream at a surprising rate compared to other fringe cultures. "Mogging" is one of those terms that comes from incels.
My theory is that these people are the stewards of internet culture. Moderators, meme creators, leaders of niche online communities. Therefore the jokes they make spread a lot more easily due to exposure.
I think part of it is that people use it ironically to make fun of incel culture but then it gets absorbed into our language unironically. Similar to how AAVE ends up in mainstream language because non-Black people use it ironically (more to make fun of themselves), but then it ends up becoming an everyday part of the language.
That I, an old person, know what it means suggests that it has already gone from (1) the incel or whatever community usage, to (2) ironic usage by others, and then finally to (3) widespread usage entirely divorced from the original meaning.
Nah it kept it's meaning, just spread more. If anything, the level of abstraction grew. "Mogged' used to be a standalone phrase, but now it's always "___mogged".
Although I have the misfortune of knowing what it means, every time I see it some part of my brain assumes it's something to do with cats (via British slang).
The know your meme page on it is extensive. My distillation is:
Mogging is behaving as though you expect everyone is going to think you're great because of how you look; in particular that you think you look better than someone right next to you.
What I gathered is that "mog" is from "amog" which means "alpha male of the group", which makes "mogging" being "out-alpha'd". Which isn't new, it goes back years if not decades to the "alpha male" trends through "pick-up artists" to modern-day incel/bro/manosphere/etc subcultures.
I know the author from about ten years ago and I'm not surprised he's into it. But also he's Dutch so it's probably used very much ironically / as a joke here.
There's an interesting Behind the Bastards podcast about the rise of incel culture and its push into mainstream. It's called "From Elliot Rodger to Clavicular." They talk about the language of incels and how their vocabulary tends to end up in the mainstream at a surprising rate compared to other fringe cultures. "Mogging" is one of those terms that comes from incels.
My theory is that these people are the stewards of internet culture. Moderators, meme creators, leaders of niche online communities. Therefore the jokes they make spread a lot more easily due to exposure.
I think part of it is that people use it ironically to make fun of incel culture but then it gets absorbed into our language unironically. Similar to how AAVE ends up in mainstream language because non-Black people use it ironically (more to make fun of themselves), but then it ends up becoming an everyday part of the language.
Damn I read that kid's manifesto, he was very messed up. It's crazy that there's a throughline from him to today. He should have been the wakeup call.
It's incel-speak for dominating someone.
"IQ-mogged" would mean that person A was dominated/overshadowed/etc. by person B because person B is very smart.
"Height-mogged" would mean the same, but due to height.
That I, an old person, know what it means suggests that it has already gone from (1) the incel or whatever community usage, to (2) ironic usage by others, and then finally to (3) widespread usage entirely divorced from the original meaning.
Nah you just know a young person or have found your way into an incel information stream. It doesn't mean you represent a large population.
Then we're in (2) and I'm hip and ahead of the curve!
Nah it kept it's meaning, just spread more. If anything, the level of abstraction grew. "Mogged' used to be a standalone phrase, but now it's always "___mogged".
Maybe I phrased it poorly, but I just mean the context for it changed as it became mainstream. I wouldn't say it's still "incel-speak."
not just "incel" culture, at least not any more
Yep thanks to the man-o-sphere incel culture has become mainstream for young men and boys
Classic mogging: https://www.youtube.com/@jacob_rees_mogg
Although I have the misfortune of knowing what it means, every time I see it some part of my brain assumes it's something to do with cats (via British slang).
The know your meme page on it is extensive. My distillation is:
Mogging is behaving as though you expect everyone is going to think you're great because of how you look; in particular that you think you look better than someone right next to you.
What I gathered is that "mog" is from "amog" which means "alpha male of the group", which makes "mogging" being "out-alpha'd". Which isn't new, it goes back years if not decades to the "alpha male" trends through "pick-up artists" to modern-day incel/bro/manosphere/etc subcultures.
I know the author from about ten years ago and I'm not surprised he's into it. But also he's Dutch so it's probably used very much ironically / as a joke here.
I only heard of it due to a memecoin, and people trying to promote the memecoin using the ‘point at you, laughing cat’ emoji combo.